ivatt



No. 62|,8l9. Patented Mar. 28, I899.-

u. A. IVATT.

MEANS FOR HOLDING CYCLES.

(Application filed. Mar. 28, 1898,)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

N0. 62l,8|9. Patented Mar. 28,1899. H. A. IVATT.

MEANS FOR HOLDING CYCLES.

(Application filed Mar. 28, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

IJNTTEE STATES PATENT OEErcE.

HENRY ALFRED IVATT, OF DONOASTER, ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR HOLDING CYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,819, dated March 28, 1899. Application filed March 28, 1898. Serial No. 875,383. (No model.)

To all whom/- it rmty concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY ALFRED IVATT, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Doncaster, in the county of York, England, have invented Improved Means or Appliances for Supporting and Holding Cycles, of whi h the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide simple, economical, and efficient means for supporting and holding cyclesas, for example, in vehicles, such as railway or other vans, or in ships-for transport and in rooms, such as cloak-rooms or store-rooms, for storage. For said purpose I provide in the van or other room or place in which cycles areto be carried or stored a couple of horizontal solid or hollow bars fixed parallel to one another, but one at some distance from and higher than the other, and near to the lower bar I provide, parallel to it, an abutment, which may be a wall or may be a plate or a third bar somewhat below the first-mentioned bar. On the lower bar I provide a series of wheel-supports able to be slid along their bar and capable of being placed in po sitions in which parts thereof will be so located between the first-mentioned bar and the abutment as to hold the wheel-supporting 0 parts in a horizontal or approximately horizontal position. Said supports are also capable of being placed in alternative positions, in which their wheel-supporting parts will hang down or they may hang up, so as not to pro- 3 5 ject into the van or room to any serious extent, thus leaving more space available for use when cycles are not being carried or stored. On the upper bar I arrange suspenders adapted to support the handle-bars of cycles, as hereinafter explained.

The accompanying drawings illustrate how a my invention may be conveniently carried out in practice.

Figures 1 and 2 are sections, taken at right 5 angles to each other, of a van-body or room embodying my improved appliances; and Figs. 3 and I are perspective views, respectively, of a wheel-support and a handle-bar suspender. Very near and paralleltoawalll or equivalent (hereinafter called the abutment) I such as by a fix, by any convenient means,

bracket 2 and sockets 2 or otherwise, a hori= zontal bar 3, so as to leave a small space as between the bar 3 and the abutment 1. On the bar 3 I place a series of wheel-supports A, such as I will now describe, each for supporting a cycle-wheel, so that in case atricycle is to be carried two such supports may be used for it. In the illustration, however, I indicate bicycles as the machines being carried or stored, and I show the rear wheels 4 on my wheelsupports A and the front ends suspended by suspenders B. This, however, might be varied.

Referring to Fig. 3, the wheel-support, as seen in side view,is of approximately- L. shape.

In the example it resembles two L-shaped solid or tubular rods 5 6, connected by a curved cross connection 7 at or near the ends of their longer limbs 5 and by a second cross connection S at some distance from said ends. These cross connections are adapted .to support a cycle-wheel 4, which will rest upon them when the limbs 5 are in the horizontal or approximately horizontal attitude,(see Fig. 1,) and then there will be one of said limbs at each side of the wheel. The supports are retained in position for use by means of the limbs 6, bearing at l against the abutment 1 and at 3 against the bar 3. Each limb 6 terminates in a hook 9. These hooks are adapted to rest upon the fixed horizontal bar 3 when the device is out of use, at which times it will be hanging with the limbs 5 downward and out of the way, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. In this attitude the support A will not interfere seriously with the use of the van or room for purposes other than the carriage or storage of cycles.

My supports maybe formed of iron or steel bar or tube or otherwise, the precise shape depending upon requirement. The whole of a support A might be made integral of plate cut and pressed to shape or of cast metal. The space between the limbs 6 and even between those portions of the limbs 5 extend: ing from the connecting part 8 to the elbow or bend might be filled up with metal integral with the limbs. Thus the one end of the wheel-support would represent a single broad structure terminating in a single broad hook of a more or less fiat cross-sectional form. One limb 5 might be omitted.

support a cycle handle-bar.

[ approximately so, and a hook or hooks at the 1 free end or ends of said secondly-mentioned limb or limbs, adapted, when the device is not in use, to hook onto said horizontal bar, and to then support the device with the firstmentioned limbs hanging down in an out-ofthe-way position as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a cycle supporting and holding arrangement, a wheel-support comprisinglimbs 5 parallel to one another and sufiiciently far apart to allow a cycle-tire to be introduced between them, a curved transverse connecting part 7 and a straight connecting part8 between said limbs 5 adapted to support a cycle wheel, limbs G integral with and at right angles or thereabout to said limbs 5 and adapted to enter between and to be kept vertical or thereabout by a horizontal solid or hollow bar and an abutment parallel thereto and to then support and hold said limbs 5 in a horizontal attitude or approximately so, and hooks 9 at the free ends of said limbs 6 adapted ll is a solid or tubular bar fixed parallelto the bar 3, but at some distance from it and higher upfor example, in the case of a van, just under the roof 10, Figs. 1 an d 2. 011 said higher bar 11 are arranged a suitable number of suspenders B, each adapted to l A suspender B Is, as represented in Fig. 4, made with hooks 13 at both its ends, the hooks at one end having' by preference and as shown a reverse direction to those at the other, although both might have the same direction. Between the two hooks 13 at both ends, or may be only at the end which in use receives the handle-bar 14 of the cycle to be carried or stored, there is a gap or space 13, so that the device there resembles a bifurcated hook or a connected couple of hooks, with su fiicient room between them for the passage of the steering-post 15 or part that carries the steering-handle of the cycle.

It is advantageous to make the suspenders of two lengths and to arrange them alternately on their bar 11, so that, as shown in when the device is not in use to hook onto Fig. 2, the handle-bar 14c of a bicycle may said horizontal bar and to then support the device with said limbs 5 hanging down in an out-of-the-way position substantially as described and shown for the purpose specified.

3. In a cycle supporting and holding arrangement, the combination of a wheel-support comprising limbs arranged side by side sufiiciently far apart to allow a cycle-tirc to be introduced between them, transverse connecting parts between said limbs adapted to support a cycle-wheel, and at right angles or thereabout to said limbs a hook-ended limb or limbs; a fixed solid or hollow horizontal bar and an abutment between which the said secondly-mentioned limb or limbs can enter and whereby the said device can be supported either with the first-mentioned limbs horizontal or approximately so or with said firstmentioned limbs hanging down, a second fixed horizontal solid or hollow bar parallel or thereabout to said first-mentioned fixed bar, and a suspender constructed with hooks at both its ends, the hooks at one or both ends being bifurcated or constructed as two hooks with a space between them whereby said hooks are adapted to receive and support the handlebar of a cycle substantially as and for the purpose specified.

e. A cycle supporting and holding arrangement comprisinga horizontal baror tube fixed near an abutment, a series of devices placed on, and free to be moved along, the said bar or tube,and adapted to support the rear wheels of cycles, and means for supporting the front ends of the cycles from above, each of the said devices beingin the form of two L-shaped bars or tubes which have two short limbs ter minating in hooks and projecting downward between the said bar or tube and the said abutment and two long limbs projecting from the said abutment and connected together by a transverse connection at or near their outer ends and by a second transverse connection clear those'of other cycles placed next to it.

Devices such as I have hereinabove described maybevariouslyconstructed. They may be cast, stamped, or pressed to shape or constructed of parts suitably fastened together.

The cross-pieces of the wheel-supports and the suspender-hooks intended to carry the handle-bars of cycles are or may be covered, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, with leather, india-rubber, or other suitable material to prevent injury to the cycles.

It will be understood that the wheel-supports and suspenders can he slid along their respective bars, thus affording access to attendants, besides admitting of ready adjustment of position to suit requirements. In the right hand of Fig. 2 three wheel-supports A and an equal number of suspenders B are shown thus slid to one side and out of the way.

Although I have only described the supporting and holding of bicycles by my combination of devices, it is obvious that same can be used to support and hold tricyles and quadricycles, two side-by-side wheels of which would be supported by two of the wheel-supports A and the handle-bar by one of the suspenders B.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. In a cycle supporting and holding arrangement, a wheel-support comprising limbs arranged side by side sufficiently far apart to allow a cycle-tire to be introduced between them, transverse connecting parts between said limbs adapted to support a cycle-wheel, and, at right angles or thereabout to said limbs, a limb or limbs adapted to enter between and to be kept vertical or thereabout by a horizontal bar and an abutment parallel thereto and to then support and hold the firstmentioned limbs in a horizontal attitude or nearer to the said abutment than the firstmentioned connection and each of the said devices being adapted to support the rear Wheel of a cycle between its two L-shaped bars or tubes and upon its two said transverse connections substantially as hereinbef ore described.

5; A cycle supporting and holding arrangement comprising a horizontal bar or tube fixed near to an abutment, a series of L-shaped devices placed on, and free to be slid along, the said bar or tube and each having a long limb and a short limb, the said short limb having a hooked outer end and being located between the said bar or tube'and the said abutment, and the said long limb projecting from the said Wall and being adapted to support within it the rear wheel of a cycle, a second horizontal bar or tube fixed above and parallel to the first-mentioned bar or tube but farther from the said abutment, and a series of suspenders placed on, and free to be slid along,the secondly-mentioned bar or tube and adapted to support the front end of the cycle by its handle-bar, substantially as hereinbefore described.

, 6. In a cycle supporting and holding arrangement a Wheel-support of L shape or ap- 

